Wrenn now has 81 wins this year, good for third in North America behind Aaron Merriman (111) and Trace Tetrick (89).

Wrenn wasn't the only driver to have a memorable weekend.

Ryan Anderson won the 3,000th race of his career behind Olivia V Friday at Hawthorne. Anderson, 37, began his career in 1998 and, two years later at age 20, became the youngest driver to win a Breeders Crown race when Popcorn Penny won the 3-Year-Old Filly Pace.

Hawthorne's winter meet ended Monday with a familiar ring: Casey Leonard was leading driver for the fourth consecutive year with 38 wins on 25 cards.

Jody Jamieson visited the Woodbine winners' circle five times and has 12 victories over the last three Saturdays at the Canada oval.

Billy Dobson, a five-time driving champ at Saratoga earlier this decade, won five races over the first two days of the track's 77th season that began Sunday, including Do Over Hanover in the co-featured open pace.

IN THE XPRESSLANE: Major Uptrend (Tony Morgan) paced his second consecutive sub-1:50 mile at Dover Downs last Thursday, the same day his trainer, Tim Crissman, reached the 1,500 win plateau. ... Heza Thrill N (Trace Tetrick) won Miami Valley's $24,000 open pace Saturday for his 32nd victory that pushed his earnings over $300,000. ... Fans can vote for who they believe will be the richest 3-year-old trotter this year if they pick up a copy of Hoof Beats magazine's April issue. The voters were right on the money in 2017, predicting Ariana G as the winner. ... One bettor picked the winner of races 3 through 7 at the Meadowlands last Friday, turning a 50-cent Pick 5 wager into a $30,385 payout. ...Loralee Johnson sent out 19 winners in 25 days to win Hawthorne's winter meet training title.

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6.13.2017

Matt Kakaley wore his thinking cap. All Bets Off wore his running shoes. Together, they provided the winning formula in Northfield Park's $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie earlier this month. Kakaley did the driving, taking the classy and versatile 6-year-old off the pace in the field of eight. All Bets Off, the even-money favorite, took care of the rest, rallying into torrid pace and wearing down millionaire Luck Be Withyou en route to a 2-1/2-length victory in 1:49.2, the fastest every for 5-year-old and up pacers at the half-mile oval. "I figured the race would rock and roll early," said Kakaley. "I thought I should get away mid-pack and cross my fingers. The trip worked out perfectly for us." Luck Be Withyou (Aaron Merriman), the 9-to-5 second favorite, was gunned to a 5-length lead through a 26-second quarter mile and remained clear through a :52.4 half. As the lead began to dwindle, All Bets Off moved closer and launched a 3-wide bid toward the lead near the 3/4-mile mark. Luck Be Withyou put up a fight, but All Bets Off edged clear in mid stretch toward his 25th victory in 86 starts. All Bets Off, owned by the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino and Panhellenic Stable, joined Wiggle It Jiggleit as the only other horse to win the track's two signature Grand Circuit events -- the Battle of Lake Erie and Carl Milstein Memorial. But the $2.3 million earner has left perhaps his biggest mark on Kakaley. "All Bets Off is a special horse to me and has really helped further my career to a place I'm not sure it would be without him," he said. All Bets Off wasn't the only Ron Burke-trained star to bask in the Northfield Park spotlight. Foiled Again, harness racing's richest horse and the only three-time Battle of Lake Erie winner, was honored by the track in a pre-race ceremony. The 13-year-old wonder horse was brought to the grandstand apron to greet fans and pose for selfies. IN THE XPRESSLANE: Dr. J Hanover (Doug McNair, $32) paced the fastest mile in Canadian harness racing history when he won a division of the C$67,230 Graduate series in 1:46.4. Trained by Tony Alagna, he broke the record set by 2016 Horse of the Year Always B Miki by 3/5 of a second. ... Trainer Brian Brown and driver David Miller teammed for two victories in the C$50,000 elimination heats for this Saturday's C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup final at Mohawk. Downbytheseaside won in 1:50.4 and Fear the Dragon scored in 1:50, both as the odds-on favorite. Huntsville, no worse than second in any start, won the third division for driver Tim Tetrick in 1:49.1.

3.13.2018

Dan Patch Award winner Lost In Time and O'Brien Award winner Stay Hungry head the list of 3-year-olds nominated to the C$1 million Pepsi North America Cup, scheduled to be run June 16 at Woodbine, Mohawk Park.
A total of 79 sophomore pacers -- up from 60 last year -- were nominated to Canada's richest harness race.
Lost In Time turned heads as a 2-year-old when he won the $660,960 Metro Pace at Mohawk Park for original trainer Jim Mulinix. The son of A Rocknroll Dance drew plenty of attention following the victory and soon moved into the barn of Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter for owners Diamond Creek Racing, J & T Silva Stables, William Rufenacht and Team S Racing Stable. Lost In Time capped a 5-for-9 season with a nose victory over Stay Hungry in the $411,700 Governor's Cup.
Stay Hungry won 6 of 9 starts during his freshman campaign and also topped a half-million in earnings with a victory in the $600,000 Breeders Crown at Hoosier Park. He has strong local ties, with trainer Tony Alagna, O'Brien Award Driver of the Year Doug McNair and co-owners Brad Grant and Irwin Samelman.
Stay Hungry is by two-time Canadian Horse of the Year Somebeachsomwehere, the leading sire of Pepsi North America Cup nominees once again with 17 sons eligible.
POCONO DOWNS TO HOST BREEDERS CROWN
The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will host the Breeders Crown for the third time this decade on October 27 and, if past history is an indicator, the 5/8-mile track should prove worthy of hosting the $6 million championships.
In 2012, all 12 Breeders Crown races were held on one card -- and all 12 were run in stakes- record times. Then, when the Crown returned to the Northeast Pennsylvania track in 2013, fans were treated to victories by eventual Horse of the Year Bee A Magician, Pacer of the Year Captain Treacherous and all-time money earner Foiled Again. Already this year, 1,146 trotters and pacers made eligible with a February 15 payment to the Crown.
"I think the spike in payments shows that people are excited about the Breeders Crown returning to Pocono – it’s a proven venue with a spectacular racing surface, and the hospitality and location continues the standards set by our recent host tracks of Woodbine, the Meadowlands and Hoosier Park," said John Campbell, president and CEO of the Hambletonian Society which owns and administers the Breeders Crown.
Eliminations for the Breeders Crown will be held the weekend of October 19-20. Total handle for on the eliminations and finals esceeded $8 million in 2010 and 2013, with more than 17,000 in combined attendance. Full plans for the event, including the new logo, will be unveiled at a press conference this Thursday.